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Our Story

January 27, 1963 - Two Churches Merge

  • Grace Lutheran Church and Faith Lutheran Church joined together for their first meeting as a unified congregation.  A competition was held to name the new church by way of ecclesiastical ballot; the three most popular names were voted on and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church was named.

 

July 26, 1964 - Groundbreaking

  • After the joining of the two churches, the congregations worshiped in their respective churches until March 8, 1964 when Grace Lutheran Church was sold; both congregations now worshiped at Faith Lutheran Church.  On July 26, 1964, members and guests met after worship services on the corner of Lake Rd. and Grove St. to witness and participate in the groundbreaking ceremony of a new church building.  Construction began in earnest the following Friday, July 31st.

 

November 11, 1964 - Cornerstone

  • The congregation of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church assembled at the new church site to witness the laying of the cornerstone of the new church which exists to this day outside the Lake Rd. doors.  The first pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church was The Rev. Armas Maki who presided during this ceremony.

 

June 14, 1965 - Steeple

  • Throughout the winter of 1964 and early 1965, construction slowed due to snowfall.  Once spring came, construction continued.  On June 14th, the church steeple was placed giving a completed look, from the outside, of a nearly finished building.  The current steeple is this steeple placed in 1965.

 

September 20, 1965 - Bell moved

  • The bell located at Faith Lutheran Church tolled its final memorial at that church building on this Monday morning for Einar Kangas, a church member who died earlier that day.  The bell was removed, clean and, polished and installed the next week.  The bell located at Grace Lutheran Church was removed February 16, 1968.

 

November 14, 1965 - First Service

  • Nearly two years from the decision to merge congregations, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church worships for the first time in the new building.  The Rev. Maki preached the first sermon in this building.  A congregational open house was held that Thursday, November 18th, with a community open house the next day, Friday, November 19th.

 

November 21, 1965 - Church Dedication

  • The Church was dedicated on the Sunday following the first service.  The service was held at 3:00pm with about 800 people in attendence.  The Rev. Maki presided at the service with Dr. Herbert Veler of Columbus (President of the Ohio Synod of Lutheran Churches of America) delivered the dedication sermon in English.  Dr. Douglas Ollila, Professor at Thiel College presented a short sermon in Finnish.

 

1966-1967 - Church Sign, Statue, and Growth

  • As the congregation continues to grow and become comfortable in their new home, sinage was installed under the Steeple next to a statue of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  During this year, the first Congregational Church Picnic was held across the street at Township Park.  In 1967, the church parking lot was finally paved and marked as well as adding an additional lot across Grove Street.

 

September 20, 1976 - Mortgage Released

  • The Kilpi Temperance Society was going to disban and sell its building for the Conneaut Community Center.  The proceeds of this sale was donated to Good Shepherd to liquidate the mortgage.  As part of our calling, a collection was gathered to donate to St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jefferson, Ohio to support their project of expansion of ministry to call a Full-Time Pastor for the first time in many years.

 

November 21, 1976 - Mortgage Burning Celebration

  • Exactly 11 years from the dedication of the church building, the newly released mortgage was burned.  The Rev. Paul Swartz (Assistant to the President of the Ohio Synod of the Lutheran Church of America) preached the sermon, The Rev. Richard Bowen (Pastor of Good Shepherd) presided, and Albert Gee gave a narration of the history of the congregation to that point.

 

1988 - 25th Anniversary Celebration

  • As the 25th Anniversary of the congregation grew near, The Rev. Richard Bowen suggested as part of this celebration to replace the 25 year old Good Shepherd sign.  On December 28, 1986, a sign was chosen by the Church Council.  A new Good Shepherd Lutheran Church lettering and a lighted cross with flames and rings were chosen and installed early 1987.
  • Additional projects for this anniversary include:
    • Remodeling of the church Sacristy
    • A new altar table top was reconstructed.
    • Lumber from the old altar table top was used to build candle table for church weddings.
    • New robes for readers and communion assistants were ordered
    • Closets were redone to keep robes off the floor.
    • New crosses were ordered for acolytes, readers, and communion assistants.

 

1995 - Carillon

  • To celebrate 100 years of Lutheranism in Conneaut, Good Shepherd decided to purchase a carillon to replace the bell from Faith Lutheran Church which was no longer functional.  A digital carillon was determined the best fit and installed.  It was dedicated May 5, 1996.  While upgraded with new software and some new hardware, and some water damage and lightning strikes occured, the carillon still plays every day with bells and songs.

 

1997-2003 - General Maintenance and Improvements

  • The newly called pastor, The Rev. Clyde McGee, addressed maintenance of the church building.  In 1997, a Long Range Maintenance Task Force was assembled to ensure proper maintenance and protection of property for this congregation.  This Task Force was charged to plan for timely repairs and to maintain an attractive appearance to the grounds and building.  Some of the items addressed was the need to repave the parking lots, brick and other restoration of the exterior, and comply with the City of Conneaut directives regarding the damaged sidewalks.
  • In 2000, restoration of the exterior of the church and its brick work began including replacing cracked or broken bricks, mortar joints redone and the steel lintels were scraped and painted with rust inhibitor paint; the entire masonry surface was sandblased and treated with waterproof sealer.  Inside the building, a new electronic control panel for the heating system was installed including programmable themostats, and the lighting system was upgraded.
  • In 2001, the original planters along the sides of the church were filled and capped allowing new and various plants to be planted without concern of damage to the building.
  • In 2002, a new boiler was installed.  While the original boiler installed in 1963 was not broken, the new boiler would be more energy and cost effective.
  • In 2003, the parking lot was repaved and the sidewalks on Grove Street and Detroit Street were replaced.  This finished the Long Range Maintenance Task Force main projects that were identified.

 

July 5, 2009 - New Education Wing Groundbreaking and New Roof.

  • Early in 2009, a need was identified to expand the church building for new offices and dedicated education classrooms.  Under the newly called pastor, The Rev. Frank Gore, this committee met with various architects and loan representatives.  On July 5th, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new education wing took place on the Lake Road lawn of the church property with the new wing dedicated to all members of the congregation.  To help alleviate construction cost, many members of the congregation dedicated countless hours of hard work.  Part of the project included building a new pitched roof on top of the existing flat roof.

 

February 14, 2010 - Dedication of New Education Wing and Nursery

  • At 9:45am, between the two regular worship services, the dedication ceremony began in the sanctuary and processed through the new hallways blessing each room along the way.  The fomer church office was revitalized into a nursery and dedicated for a office worker and teacher.

 

February 2, 2013 - 50th Anniversary Celebration

  • In 2012, members of the congregation began making arrangements and preparations for the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the congregation.  Part of the anniversary celebration was to purchase new communion vessels and to adopt a new Mission Statement.  In September 2012, the new Mission Statement was adopted and on January 27, 2013, the new communion vessels were dedicated.
  • On February 2, 2013, at 3:00pm, with over 200 people attending and a blizzard, the anniversary worship service began with the Bishop of Northeaster Ohio Synod of the ELCA, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, presiding and pastor of the congregation, The Rev. Frank Gore, assisting minister.  Former pastors of GSLC including The Rev. Richard Bowen and The Rev. Dr. Clyde McGee participated in the worship service as readers of the lessons; Bishop Eaton preached the sermon.  A couple members were baptized during this service by members who became pastors.  A catered dinner followed the service with the three pastors of GSLC sharing stories.

 

2014-2020 - Worship and Church Life Continues

  • In 2014, Pastor Gore announces his resignation from GSLC and, in 2015, The Rev. Patrick Van De Motter is called to serve as the new pastor.  Pastor Van De Motter led the congregation to focus outside the walls of the church - to focus on the community of Conneaut.  He was active and led the path for GSLC to be involved with OneStep, encouraged use of projector and screens during worship to allow the worship service to be more inviting rather than overwhelming, and, partnering with Corpus Christi Parish, began the annual Good Friday Stations of the Cross service in Township Park.  Pastor Van De Motter also led the congregation to open the Fellowship Hall to outside groups and, as part of that movement, to install air conditioning in the Fellowship Hall and the Kitchen.
  • In 2020, the Corona Virus hit the United States causing many public buildings, including worship spaces, to close.  Pastor Van De Motter pastored the congregation through the beginnings of this pandemic but finally realized he could no longer fulfill his call as a pastor.  He announced his retirement the end of that year.

 

2020-2021 - The COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Like most public buildings and worship spaces, Good Shepherd was forced to close its doors to in-person worship services.  The congregation was encouraged by its supply pastors to practice home and family worship and to keep in contact with the church regarding reopening to public in-person worship services.
  • Christmas Eve service of 2020 was particularly hard to stay away from the church.  The Church Council decided to purchase a Radio Transmitter and invite people to come to church but to remain in their vehicles tuning to the correct radio station.  Many members who attended during this snowy Christmas service said it is one they will never forget.  With the success for this service, gears were put into motion to attempt virtual services.
  • In early February of 2021, remote cameras were installed in the sanctuary and volunteers came to the sanctuary to record, to lead the viewers in song, to hear the good news of the gospel, and to witness the miracle of the Eucharist even if they were unable to partake in person.
  • Finally, with space restrictions in place, on Easter Sunday 2021, the sanctuary opened for in person worship service to the joy of all.  While communal singing and responses were discouraged, and songs and responses were sung/spoken by volunteers and ministers, the joy of celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord together in the same room was overwhelming for many.

 

2021-Present - The Post-COVID-19 Years

  • For all who lived through the COVID-19 Pandemic, these years changed people.  For Good Shepherd, supply pastors were available but are never the same as a permanently called pastor and Good Shepherd lost some of its shine in the pandemic years.  However, the light began to return on Easter Sunday 2021 and has grown brighter and brighter since that day.
  • In November 2021, on Christ the King Sunday, a day that represents the end of the church calendar year, a new permanent pastor is called, The Rev. Joshua Krenz.  Pastor Krenz is the current pastor of GSLC and is so proud to serve a congregation with a wonderful history.
  • Pastor Krenz came to Good Shepherd fresh from seminary as a First-Call Pastor with the call to build upon the foundation that has been laid from all the previous pastors - including supply pastors - that have come before him.  Pastor Krenz replaced the aging and standard definition cameras in the sanctuary and outdoors to provide a clear and higher quality recording continuing the YouTube posts that began during the COVID-19 years.  Pastor Krenz wanted to improve the screen usage in the sanctuary to help the carbon footprint of GSLC and reduce paper usage for bulletins and announcements.  Finally, Pastor Krenz encouraged the congregation and the Evangelism Committee to expand the Food Pantry to its current location and size.